Hello, I’m Hazel
I'm based in Chingford, and charity shops have been part of my life since I was about 16, when I volunteered at Oxfam for my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award — I've volunteered and worked across several charity shops since, including Oxfam and Sue Ryder, Assistant Shop Manager at Devon Air Ambulance, and Shop Manager at The Children's Society in Debden. I've always shopped second-hand too — including plenty of years as a genuinely broke student, which taught me firsthand what these shops mean to people who need them to be affordable, not just what they raise for the cause behind them.
I hold a PhD in biological sciences too, which shapes how I approach this work: evidence over assumption. Every listing here comes from a real visit, checked and re-checked, not scraped from somewhere else.
Beyond the directory, I offer hands-on help too — including supporting a family through a full house clearance after a bereavement. I hold an enhanced DBS certificate and I'm fully insured, so you can feel confident inviting me into your home. I'm also independent, not affiliated with any single charity, so my advice is based on what's best for you and the cause — not any one shop.
Why this exists
After managing a charity shop, I saw the same problem daily: people arriving with donations we couldn't accept at all — broken electricals, clothes with names sewn into labels, toys without safety marks. Even the bags we did accept often had things in them we couldn't actually sell, and that stock still had to go somewhere — landfill, which costs the charity money, or rag recycling that barely covers its own costs anymore. It wasted people's time either way, and ate into money that should have gone to the cause.
I've also felt the other side of it directly — carrying heavy bags to donate my own things, only to find the shop had closed, moved, or simply wasn't taking donations that day. It's deflating to haul something all that way for nothing, when you were only trying to do the right thing with it, and it happens far more than it should, because so much of what's online about these shops is out of date.
At the same time, I saw people overwhelmed by the thought of sorting through years of possessions, with no transport and no idea where to start.
Help To Donate connects the dots: clear information about what each shop currently needs, condition guides so every item supports the cause, and vetted local help for those who need hands-on support.
For charity shops
This directory is built from real visits, not scraped data. Every shop has a unique QR code — scan it, tell us what has changed, and we update the listing within 24 hours. No login, no password, no dashboard to learn.
I also buy shops' overflow stock directly when rag collection lets them down. See the shop managers' page →
For donors
Search by postcode, filter by what you have, and see only the shops that can actually take it right now. Check the condition guide before you pack the car. If it is not shop-quality, we will tell you exactly where else it can go.
How shops are rated
Shops with a star rating have been visited and assessed in person. The rating reflects:
- Donor experience — how welcoming and helpful the staff are
- Organisation — how well sorted, displayed, and priced the stock is
- Cause clarity — how transparent the shop is about where the money goes
- Accessibility — step-free entry, clear layout, manageable doorways
- Overall impression — would I send my own mother here with a bag of donations?
No rating means I have not visited yet, or the shop was closed when I called by. Ratings are updated as I revisit.